Find out what's happening behind the scenes in the organisation that maintains Scotland's land and property registers.

How we’re going greener this October

As a public body, we’re keenly aware of our environmental responsibilities. Readers of our most recent annual report, for example, will have noticed that in 2017-18 we delivered a 68 percent carbon emission saving in our Glasgow office, as well as a 16 per cent saving in paper usage across the entire organisation. Also in 2018 we’ve hired our first Sustainability Manager, who you can learn more about in this blog post.

To further underline our environmental commitments, in October we’re holding our first ever Go Greener month. During the month we’ll be holding a series of events and initiatives designed to encourage even more environmentally conscious behaviour within our organisation.

Because there’s no Planet B – what we have planned

Whether it’s big steps or little ones, it’s important we all strive to make a difference in reducing our environmental impact. That’s why October is a month full of all kinds of activity with just this in mind.

Encouraging us all to think more green

Thinking green and considering changing our behaviours for the environmental good is a big part of making a difference. This is reflected in one of the main initiatives we’re running in October, when we’ll mirror our fellow civil servants in the Scottish Government and phase out the use of single use plastic cups. With over 15,000 tonnes of single use plastic sent to landfill every year in Scotland, even this small change represents a step in the right direction.

Getting to and from work is another way we can all do our bit. In October, we’re spreading this word to RoS staff with two workshops. The first is a first-hand demo of an electric car, while the other is a Cycle-to-Work promotion held in tandem (pun intended) with Cycle Solutions and Sustrans. Earlier in 2018 we were awarded a Cycle Friendly Employer award by Cycling Scotland, so we’re keen to encourage as many people as possible to pedal their way to work.

Making a positive difference

During October we’ll also be sharing information and providing opportunities for RoS staff to make a positive difference towards a green Scotland. This includes voluntary opportunities to plant trees (as we did during our 400th anniversary commemorations) and also a litter pick-up event, so we can do our bit towards making sure just a small part of the land we register is kept neat and tidy.